U.S. Sen. Tom Udall Chairs Field Hearing at Law School

U.S. Sen. Tom Udall (`77) chaired a Senate field hearing that addressed drunk driving on Aug. 10 at the University of New Mexico School of Law. He welcomed comments from an invited group of panelists at the hearing, titled, "Fighting Drunk Driving: Lessons Learned from New Mexico".

Panelists included Albuquerque Mayor Richard Berry, federal and state transportation officials, and alcohol-related industry representatives. The overall message was that the number of traffic deaths related to drunk driving has declined in recent years, but with more needing to be done, technology could play a significant role.

Udall is co-sponsoring legislation that would authorize funding for more research into DWI prevention methods. He is interested in a passive in-vehicle detection system, which could have the potential to end drunk driving.

The hearing of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation was part of a week-long tour Udall made throughout New Mexico during a summer congressional break.

August 16, 2011

UNM School of Law
1117 Stanford NE MSC11 6070, 1 University of New Mexico
Albuquerque, NM 87131-0001